Doha 2021: Roger Federer vs Dan Evans preview, head-to-head & prediction | Qatar ExxonMobil Open

Match details

Fixture: (2) Roger Federer vs Dan Evans

Date: 10 March 2021

Tournament: Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2021

Round: Second round (Round of 16)

Venue: Doha, Qatar

Category: ATP 250

Surface: Outdoor hardcourt

Prize money: $787,930

Match timing: Approx 6 pm local time, 8.30 pm IST

Live telecast: USA - Tennis Channel

Roger Federer vs Dan Evans preview

Roger Federer’s much-awaited comeback match will be against his frequent training partner. Federer faces Britain's Dan Evans in the second round of the 2021 Qatar ExxonMobil Open on Wednesday.

Evans overcame the challenge of Jeremy Chardy in his first-round match on Tuesday, prevailing 6-4, 1-6, 6-2. The Brit conceded a mammoth 18 break points against Chardy, but managed to save 16 of them with some clutch tennis.

Interestingly, Federer and Evans have been training with each other for the good part of a month now. The Swiss recently revealed he has played about 20 sets with Evans, who has been helping Federer acclimatize to match conditions.

Perhaps even more interestingly, Roger Federer's first opponent in his 2017 comeback was also Dan Evans. The two had squared off in the group stage of the 2017 Hopman Cup after Federer had just returned to the tour from a six-month layoff, and the Swiss ended up winning 6-3, 6-4.

Practice with a smile ☺️@rogerfederer pic.twitter.com/YslvWqkCP5

— Tennis TV (@TennisTV) March 9, 2021

Roger Federer has come into this tournament with fairly low expectations; the 39-year-old isn’t hoping for more than a win or two. But with Evans not in the best of form and Borna Coric (his potential quarterfinal opponent) having pulled out, Federer suddenly has a much clearer path to the semis - where he could possibly face Denis Shapovalov.

Dan Evans is by no means a pushover though. The Brit will be motivated to give his all in Federer’s comeback match - which will likely attract eyeballs from all over the world.

Dan Evans

Despite Roger Federer not having too many expectations from himself at the Qatar Open, nerves will likely come into play in the first few rallies of the match. It is pertinent to note that Federer didn’t have the smoothest of starts in his official tour-level comeback match in 2017 (Hopman Cup matches don't count as official matches).

Facing Jurgen Melzer in the first round of the 2017 Australian Open, Federer needed two full sets to find his groove. but once he did, there was no looking back.

Roger Federer vs Dan Evans head-to-head

Roger Federer leads Dan Evans 3-0 in the head-to-head. This will be their first meeting outside a Slam though, and as such their first in the best-of-three-sets format.

Evans has never taken a set off Federer, and has only managed to break the Swiss’ serve thrice in all matches combined.

Roger Federer vs Dan Evans prediction

Roger Federer watching the match between Dan Evans and Jeremy Chardy

Given that Roger Federer has been out of action for over a year, his head-to-head superiority over Dan Evans is not necessarily a good indicator of how this match is likely to pan out.

Evans' strengths are that he can move his opponents around and use their pace to produce winning shots from the back of the court. But the Brit often struggles to generate his own power, which will be a relief to the out-of-practice Federer.

Evans' backhand slice is unlikely to be much of a threat to Federer either, given that the Swiss is an expert at dealing with off-pace underspin.

So far there hasn't been much indication of how Federer is hitting the ball. But from the few short training clips posted on social media, it seems like the 39-year-old is moving well.

I still watching this can’t help pic.twitter.com/X5Qxovf2OK

— SteakRF (@SteakWang) March 9, 2021

All things considered, if Federer’s serve is roughly the same as it was before the injury, he will likely be able to stave off the Evans challenge in his comeback match.

Prediction: Roger Federer to win in three sets.